motion for attorney’s fees

Posted by David Adelsteinon February 11, 2017Trial Perspectives /
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Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.525 provides:

Any party seeking a judgment taxing costs, attorneys’ fees, or both shall serve a motion no later than 30 days after filing of the judgment, including a judgment of dismissal, or the service of a notice of voluntary dismissal, which judgment or notice concludes the action as to that party.

This is a specific statutory time period and a motion for rehearing does NOT toll this 30 day period. Jackson v. Anthony, 39 So.3d 1285, 1286 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010). This means that a motion for a final judgment taxing attorney’s fees and costs must be made within 30 days after the filing of a judgment or voluntary dismissal that concludes the action as to that party. (A court in certain circumstances may grant an extension of time to this 30 day period if the motion for extension is filed within 30 days). Not timely filing a motion for attorney’s fees and costs can result in…(you guessed it)…a loss of a party’s right to recover attorney’s fees and costs.

In Hovercraft of South Florida, LLC v. Reynolds, 42 Fla. L Weekly D367a (Fla. 5th DCA 2017), the plaintiffs prevailed and received a final judgment. The defendant moved for a new trial and/or rehearing which was denied. Within 30 days of the denial of the defendant’s motion for rehearing, but well outside the 30 days from when the final judgment was entered, the plaintiffs moved for attorney’s fees and costs. However, the motion for attorney’s fees was not timely filed within 30 days of the filing of the final judgment meaning…(you guessed it again)…the plaintiff’s lost the right to recover their attorney’s fees and costs!!! Do not let this happen to you.

Notably, an exception to this 30 day requirement is if the final judgment itself determines entitlement to attorney’s fees reserving only the right to determine the quantum of the reasonable attorney’s fees. Hovercraft of South Florida, supra (“In order to avoid the thirty-day requirement, the judgment itself must determine entitlement to attorney’s fees and costs and reserve jurisdiction only as to the amount owed.”) Notwithstanding this exception, file the motion for attorney’s fees and costs within 30 days — no excuses.

Please contact David Adelstein at dadelstein@gmail.com or (954) 361-4720 if you have questions or would like more information regarding this article. You can follow David Adelstein on Twitter @DavidAdelstein1.